New Kids in Town
by EscapeWithImagination
Summary: AU in which everybody is human. The Mikaelsons have just moved to Mystic Falls and decide to throw a garden party to meet the neighbours. Rated T for possible later chapters, Klaroline, Delena, Steferine.. First attempt at writing so R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

"People are starting to arrive, quick Nik, get the ice out of the freezer, first impressions are everything." Rebecca was frenzied; she really wanted this party to go off without a hitch. If the Mikaelsons were going to establish themselves here they needed to start climbing the social ladder from the very start.

"Relax Bex, we've got this. Kol is out the front to greet everyone, Elijah is ready to take coats and you and I can show people out to the garden, the drinks table is all set up, it's a beautiful day, and everything is going to be perfect."

First to arrive was the mayor and her son, she introduced them as Carol and Tyler Lockwood. She took in the Mikaelson's house with awe.

"I've live in Mystic Falls my whole life and I never knew there was a property this big on this land, its really stunning."

"Yes, we were delighted when we came across it, its perfect for the four of us, plenty of space to avoid the others when we start to rub each other up the wrong way. There's even enough space for my brother Finn and his wife and kids to come and stay if they ever decide to take a break from dreary England" replied Kol before pointing the Lockwoods towards Elijah.

There was now a steady stream of cars descending the driveway, Kol introduced himself to each and every person that came by, he made a point of remembering everybody's name and who arrived with who, Alaric Saltzman and Jenna Somers were accompanied by Jeremy and Elena Gilbert, the latter hand in hand with Damon Salvatore. That's a pity, thought Kol, she's pretty cute.

Next was the town sheriff Liz Forbes with her daughter Caroline and Caroline's friends Matt Donovan and Bonnie Bennett. A few more teachers from the high school arrived, the pastor and what appeared to be a whole football team packed into one car. Last to arrive was Stefan Salvatore and his girlfriend Katherine Pierce, Kol smiled to himself, Katherine was the spitting image of Elena, both men had the same last name, he was sure there was an interesting story behind that one.

Out in the garden, the long-time citizens of mystic falls seemed to be having a great time, nothing ever really happened here, it was refreshing to have new faces around and the Mikaelsons seemed very charming, if not a little mysterious.

Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler, Matt, Jeremy, the Salvatore brothers, Elena and Katherine were all gathered in the centre of the garden with their drinks. This was a tight knit group of friends, there weren't many young people in Mystic Falls and once you found a friend you did your best to hold onto them. They'd had their ups and downs of course, but for the most part they'd got through it all.

"It's a bit much don't you think?" Tyler scoffed, "I mean these guys look like they're the same age as us, who do they think they are with their big pretentious house and their garden parties.

"Seriously Tyler? Give it a rest, you haven't even spoken to any of them yet, you have to give people a chance" the tension between Caroline and Tyler was tangible, it had only been a few weeks since she had walked away from their two year relationship. Damon decided to break the ice.

"Listen, anyone who is handing me free booze at three in the afternoon is starting off pretty well in my books. Is anybody ready for another?" he drained the last of his drink and counted as Jeremy, Stefan and Katherine nodded their heads.

Elena smiled after him as he made his way over to the table, she couldn't help it, most other people would have seen that as a him being arrogant and self-centred, but she knew him well enough to know that it was his way of displacing the tension without drawing attention to the fact that it had been building, it was one of the reasons she loved him so much.

Damon returned to the group at the same time as a laugh was erupting, Matt must have been telling jokes again, at the same time, Nik was approaching the group from the other side, he stepped into the middle of the group and looked around them all.

"So glad to see you are all enjoying yourselves, my name is Niklaus Mikaelson, welcome to our home." He locked eyes with Caroline as he finished speaking, she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat.


	2. Chapter 2

Caroline quickly dropped her eyes to follow the ice swimming around in her glass, he was just so good looking and that English accent was to die for, she was intimidated by him though, he was oozing with charm and confidence, she was acutely aware of him making his way around the circle one by one, learning everyone's name and making a quick witted comment. She watched intently as he got as far as Tyler, he stood with his shoulders back, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his beer and made no attempt whatsoever to make Niklaus feel accepted. The hostility didn't seem to faze their host though.

"Love that shirt Lockwood, I'll have to get some of you guys to show me where's good to shop around here, you all look very dapper, although of course you've got nothing on these lovely ladies." He smirked as he glanced around at Elena, Katherine, Bonnie and then finally settling on Caroline. "Green is definitely your colour sweetheart" Caroline's eyes grew wide and she could feel the blood rush to her cheeks.

"Yeah and the red compliments it pretty well too" laughed Matt noticing her embarrassment.

Caroline muttered a shy "Thank you" in Niklaus' direction and dropped her eyes once more, she could almost hear her heart thumping, she had only met this man two minutes ago, she'd never even had a conversation with him, but her head was flooded with thoughts of what it might be like to spend time alone with him, to take a walk or to sit down to dinner, she felt like a thirteen year old crushing on her favourite pop star. He continued to make his way around the group pausing to chat to Katherine for quite a while, Caroline quietly observed as they laughed easily together along with Stefan, she knew that when it came to be her turn there was no chance she could be her usual bubbly self, this was going to be one of those moments like you see in the movies, where the science geek finally gets the chance to talk to the head cheerleader and as he is walking up to her he trips on his shoelace and falls head first into a trashcan. Okay, maybe it wouldn't be that bad, but it wouldn't be good either. Bonnie was next in the circle and then it would be Caroline's turn. The others were all involved in conversations amongst themselves and Caroline felt a little silly just standing there with both hands cradling her glass, he was now listening intently to Bonnie as she told him about herself and Caroline could still feel her face burning red, she drained the last of her drink just as he leaned in to kiss Bonnie on the cheek, "I really hope we can be friends Miss. Bennett, you all seem great."

What happened next she was not expecting, he turned to her and gave a quick tight smile, "Caroline isn't it? Great to meet you, I better run and make sure my siblings aren't burning down the new house without my supervision." And with that he pushed past her and headed back towards the house. She should have been relieved; she hadn't wanted to humiliate herself in front of him? Well it was a good job she didn't get the chance then right? That's how she should have felt, but she was bitterly disappointed, why had he taken the time to talk to them all except for her? He'd even had something to say to Tyler who may as well have had "I don't want to know you" stamped across his forehead. He must have picked up on the fact that I was attracted to him she thought, perhaps he thought I would turn on the charm and he wanted to avoid a situation where he might have to reject me, get out while you still can, that's what he had said to himself.

God she was so stupid, had she actually expected him to want to speak to her? She was so insignificant, so ordinary, so small town and he was brilliant, she could tell from the way he held himself, the confidence he exuded as he moved through the party that this was a man who had some life experience under his belt, she bet he'd travelled all over, met all kinds of people, charmed hundreds of beautiful women. What interest would he ever have in her? He was probably already with someone, she doubted he would ever be alone, who would leave a man like that? All these thoughts ran through her head in the space of around six seconds, Elena was looking at her oddly and Caroline couldn't handle it, she turned on her heel and headed for the drinks table, she downed two while she was there and poured another to bring back to the gang, she squeezed back in beside Damon and Elena.

"You OK Caroline? You seem a little shook up." enquired Elena

"Oh yeah I'm fine, great party right? This house is awesome." She doubted it sounded very convincing but Elena either didn't care enough to dig deeper or she just didn't notice the fragility in Caroline's voice, she shrugged and turned back to make eyes at her man. The only one of her friends who wasn't already in deep conversation or lusty eye contact was Tyler and she was way to off her game to even attempt that conversation, she finished her fourth drink and went to grab another, she could feel a slight spinning at the front of her head but her nerves were calming and It would be time to leave soon.

She made her way over to the house because she needed to use the restroom. When she was done she stared at herself in the mirror, she hated this top, had he been making fun of her when he said it suited her? She would bet on it. The thought of this really upset her, insecurities plus teenage girl plus five vodkas equals tears. She couldn't hold back, the floodgates were opened and they weren't going to close anytime soon. I've got to get out of here she thought, she fumbled with the lock on the door and tripped over the mat on the way out into his arms, "Whoa there blondie, steady now." Niklaus chuckled, before he noticed her tears. She tried to shrug him off but as he helped her straighten up he pushed her curls back from her eyes.

"Hey, hey, what happened to you?" he whispered, blessedly trying not to draw any attention to them.

"It's nothing, I'm fine, I just want to go home" she replied.

"Not so fast now, I can't have my guests running out early now can I, we've got a reputation to build. How about you take a walk with me?"

* * *

**A/N : Loving the reviews everyone. A few of you have said that Caroline is completely out of character here but you've got to remember that shes human, it wasn't really until she was turned that she found her strength and even then she was full of insecurities for a while. Hope ypu keep reading :) Follow me on Tumblr: kftvd **


	3. Chapter 3

Caroline Forbes was speechless, frozen to the spot, and let me tell you something, that was a first. Go for a walk, with the handsome new mysterious man in town? It was exactly what she'd wished for just moments before this, but she hadn't envisioned this situation. Tears were still streaming down her face, Niklaus stood, concern in his eyes, with a hand on each of her shoulders. She couldn't gather herself, she was completely humiliated, he hadn't wanted to talk to her out in the garden, and now when she was in a state, he decides they should go for a stroll, what a messed up logic.

She took a deep breath and muttered "I'm not sure I'd be very good company right now."

"Ah, but I don't know anything about you, I know your name, and I know that you look like you could use a friend, so how about I ask you all the easy questions so you won't have to think too hard. You're pretty solid on the basics facts about Caroline Forbes I assume?" the way he looked at her when he was talking, it was enchanting; he said her name so gently with an air of compassion and curiosity. She couldn't resist.

"I guess I could manage that. Once you don't get too nosey of course."

"You're smiling, we're off to a great start," Niklaus beamed back at her.

Wow, that smile was something else. He led her down the front steps and turned left towards the small gathering of trees across the field, it looked like a mini forest. As they walked she could feel the heat of his bare arm next to her, not quite touching but so close, it made her tense up, her heart was racing and she had the distinct feeling that there was mascara running down her face.

"So, how about we play twenty questions, where I unashamedly avoid the elephant in the room and say nothing about the crying incident, and when we're done, you can decide if you want to tell me?" he asked.

"Alright, but don't get your hopes up, I probably won't answer all your questions, never mind add anything on at the end." Caroline replied, her body still tensed, her voice restrained, he really made her feel completely aware of her whole body, and she was trying to reign in every little movement.

"Ok, question number one. What perfume are you wearing?" he asked her, face deadpanned.

"Seriously?" she enquired.

"Seriously."

"Um, it's called Romance, by Ralph Lauren." She wondered why he wanted to know, but she didn't ask. She couldn't think of anything else to say, this was going to be a pretty one way conversation because Caroline's mind was completely consumed by the awareness of his proximity.

"It's beautiful," he remarked "Is it your favourite?"

"Yeah, my Dad bought it for me for my 16th birthday. I'm almost done my 3rd bottle." She smiled at the memory of the last birthday she had spent with her father.

"Two questions down, number three, if I save some of my questions, would you consider answering the rest of them over dinner?" Caroline stopped in her tracks. Had he really just said that, she looked up at him wide eyed.

"I, uh, are you asking me on a date? Why?" she couldn't get her head around it, one minute she was in tears because he didn't want to talk to her and the next he was asking her on a date.

"I think I am sweetheart, I don't think I need a reason, but if you must know, I think you are stunning. You don't seem to realise the effect you have when you walk into a room. Just there, in the garden when I was talking to your friends, I couldn't even bring myself to talk to you in front of all those people, I was afraid I might say something silly, and I didn't want you to think I was some bumbling idiot." Niklaus cast his eyes toward the ground, shy; they were mirror images of each other. Both of them standing with their arms folded across their chests, looking down, flushed cheeks, hopeful.

"Wow, I don't think anyone has ever said anything so nice to me before. It seems I'm not the only one with a skewed perception of myself," she assured him, "In the garden before, I thought you were charming and engaging, I thought you didn't want to talk to me and I couldn't understand what I had done, that's why I was crying before."

"You were crying because of me?" he looked up, surprise in his voice.

"I thought you hated me." Caroline was getting redder and redder, she couldn't believe he wanted to take her for dinner, and she couldn't believe how honest they were being with each other, how strong the attraction was immediately. There was just something about him.

"Oh Caroline, I'm so sorry, I was just intimidated by the people watching us. You were the most beautiful girl at the party, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen to be honest. To think you'd give me the time of day was audacious of me, you're completely out of my league." He was getting down on himself but his kind words were giving Caroline back her confidence.

"You're flattering me Mr. Mikaelson. I would love to go to dinner with you, and I think I'm ready to go back to the party now."

Niklaus brought his hand up to her face and slowly and gently wiped his thumb underneath first her left eye and then her right.

"There you are lovely, no more tears. Lets go." He smiled as he reached down to take her hand. Their fingers entwined and Caroline was struck with the feeling that everything was right with the world. His hand felt cool in hers and the pressure was soothing. For the first time in a very long time, Caroline Forbes felt safe.

* * *

**A/N: So? Sorry its taken so long. FF was playing up on me! Follow delenaconsumesme on tumblr :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't even know where to begin apologising for how long this has taken me to upload. I am so sorry. Final year in college, its been crazy. Summers almost here though so I should be able to stick to a decent schedule soon.**

* * *

As the pair neared the front door once more Klaus let go of Caroline's hand and placed his own at the small of her back to help her up the steps to the house. "We wouldn't want anybody asking questions just yet love" he smiled at her. "I guess you're right, can't have you being at the centre of a scandal on your first day in town now can we?" Caroline smirked.

Caroline re-joined her friends in the garden after exchanging phone numbers with Klaus; she couldn't hide the excitement on her face as she sheepishly slid back into the circle between Bonnie and Matt. "Where did you go Care? We thought you left us." Bonnie enquired. "Sorry, the queue for the toilet was ridiculous, you think in a house this size there would be a few we could use but apparently not." Bonnie didn't look like she bought it and Caroline was sure she'd get interrogated later on when it was just the girls but for now she let it go. The rest of the party passed without incident, unless you count Tyler embarrassing himself by knocking over a tray of glasses, which amused Caroline far more than it should have.

"Breakfast tomorrow morning at the grill ladies?" suggested Bonnie as they all made their way back to their cars. "Oh I can't" replied Katherine, "Stefan is taking me to some sort of exhibition Charlottesville and we have to leave super early. Something to do with vampires or blood I can't really remember, you know how obsessed he is!" The others laughed, "that's a pity Kat, make sure an insist he takes you shopping afterwards though, you'll have earned it." Caroline was pretty close to Stefan but even she had to admit his obsession with all things gory was a little weird. Secretly she was glad Katherine couldn't make it, she wasn't as close to her as she was to Bonnie and Elena and she knew Bonnie was going to be full of questions about where she disappeared to at the party and Caroline wasn't sure if she was ready to share that information with her best friends, but she definitely wasn't ready to share with Katherine.

Elena was the last to arrive at the Mystic Grill, the next morning. "Sorry girls, Saturday morning, you know how it is." She blushed. "Unfortunately we don't know how it is miss I am so in love with my new boyfriend I can't tear myself away from him a second earlier than is absolutely necessary" teased Bonnie not realising she was about to start Elena on a fifteen minute monologue about the many virtues of Damon Salvatore. "OK Juliet, that's quite enough for now" laughed Caroline, "let's eat."

Just as they were finishing up and Caroline thought she had gotten away with it Bonnie turned to her, "so Miss Forbes, are you ready to explain to your two best friends in the whole wide world why you disappeared from the party yesterday for twenty five minutes and came back looking happier than I've seen you since I don't even remember?" "Um, will you accept a no?" Worth a try, thought Caroline. Bonnie didn't even answer her she just stared, with a slight smirk, never breaking eye contact. "Ugh, OK! You are such a little witch sometimes Bennett, you always get what you want." Caroline acted like she was annoyed but secretly she was dying to tell them. "I have a date."

Twenty minutes later and Caroline sat deflated and a little angry after answering what felt like a thousand questions. The girls couldn't believe Caroline had agreed to go out with this strange man who she barely knew and was quite a few years older than her. Elena and Bonnie both thought it was a terrible idea and that he had altogether too much charisma to be genuine, they totally ruined the moment. Caroline was so excited for her date, she really felt like there was something there between them and her friends weren't being supportive in the slightest. She honestly couldn't believe the hypocrisy of Elena who had fallen head over heels for her boyfriend's older brother despite the fact that he was quite frankly, a bit of a douche, and she had gone for it, against everyone's advice, despite all the warnings, and Caroline had to admit it really had worked out for Elena, which is what made this even worse, she should understand. "Look, he made me feel like I was the only damn person at that party, I'm fresh out of a pretty horrible breakup and I deserve to have a little fun, so I'm going to go for dinner with him no matter what you say, so you both would be better of just accepting that." Caroline stood from the table and turned on her heel, she was well aware that you should never choose a man over your friends, but just this once, she knew she was right, and Bonnie and Elena were just going to have to get over it.

As Caroline fumbled through her handbag for her car keys her phone started to jingle, she froze when she saw the name on the screen just for a split second before composing herself. "Hello?" "So Miss Forbes, how about that dinner date?"

* * *

**Thank you all for reading, I love to hear your reviews so please leave one if you have time :) Follow me on tumblr at iamsiredtodelena or on twitter katie_flood - that's two underscores by the way! **


End file.
